BMW Leads Opening Hour of Nürburgring 24

Photo: John Dagys

BMW holds control at the Nürburgring, with one hour complete in the ADAC Zurich 24h-Rennen.

The No. 19 BMW Sports Trophy Team Schubert BMW Z4 GT3 of Dirk Mueller is out ahead of the No. 5 Black Falcon Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in second.

It was a BMW 1-2-3 prior to the first round of pit stops, with Martin Tomczyk passing the pole-sitting No. 26 Marc VDS car early to put his No. 20 Schubert entry out front.

Bentley also made a strong start, with the No. 84 Continental GT3 of Lance David Arnold running fourth overall and in the SP9 GT3, ahead of the Mercedes.

A right-front puncture for the No. 22 Rowe Racing Mercedes of Maro Engel resulted in an early stop for one of the pre-race favorites, which has seen the entry slip down the running order.

Despite heavy overcast skies, it has remained dry in the opening hour, although rain is potentially in the forecast for later tonight.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John